AshKOPPO’S 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray disc player, the new UDP-203, turns up in New Zealand just in time for yuletide.
The UDP-203 is a successor to the award-winning BDP-103 series of universal Blu-ray disc players. Pre-orders have begun shipping to stockists across the country in time to meet Christmas demand.
Oppo’s UDP-203 supports the playback of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. With a resolution of up to 3840 x 2160 pixels, UHD Blu-ray delivers four times the pixels of full HD Blu-ray. The UDP-203 also supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut.
The new player boasts a customised quad-core video decoder/processor that integrates Oppo’s advanced video decoding, processing and optimisation technology. A high-precision, well-balanced laser optical disc loader ensures smooth and reliable playback of most types of disc media. The player features two HDMI outputs – an HDMI 2.0 port for connecting to the latest UHD TVs, projectors and A/V receivers, and an HDMI 1.4 audio port for connecting to older A/V receivers.
In addition to the latest UHD Blu-ray, the UDP-203 supports regular Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, and audio CD. The UDP-203 is equipped with two USB 3.0 ports on the back and another USB port on the front. Users can play video, music and photos from USB hard drives or thumb drives. Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi or Gigabit Ethernet connects the UDP-203 to users’ home networks, so users can access media files stored on computers and home servers.
The UDP-203’s video performance and universal compatibility is further complemented by its support of lossless high resolution audio. The player decodes audio file formats such as AIFF, WAV, ALAC, APE and FLAC. It also directly plays Direct-Stream Digital audio files in stereo DSD64/128 or multi-channel DSD64. With internal decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and bitstream output for object-based immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the UDP-203 is designed to deliver high-quality sound for both movie soundtracks and music. Besides HDMI, audio is concurrently available through the 7.1-channel analogue outputs, featuring “Velvet Sound” 32-bit premium digital-to-analogue converters from AKM of Japan.
In order to provide a premium user experience with quick start-up times and fast response, the UDP-203 is designed with a purist approach in mind for disc and file playback, and so it does not carry internet video and music streaming apps. Instead, an HDMI 2.0 input port that supports UHD resolution is available for users to connect an external streaming device. This approach affords users the flexibility to choose from a wide range of streaming devices and easily upgrade as streaming technologies evolve, while still taking advantage of the UDP-203’s audio and video processing capabilities.
Continuing Oppo’s tradition of providing firmware updates long after the initial release, the UDP-203 is upgradable via an easy-to-perform firmware update process. Since the Ultra HD Blu-ray format is still very new, customers can expect ongoing firmware updates that introduce new features and resolve issues. Leveraging hardware designed to support Dolby Vision, customers can expect a firmware update in early 2017 that brings Dolby Vision support to the player.
A brushed aluminum front panel, steel chassis and gold plated connectors ensure dependable operation and reliable connections. Integration-friendly features such as RS-232 control, back panel IR sensor and third-party IP control are also present.
In addition to the UDP-203, a UDP-205 model is in development as a successor to the BDP-105/105D with upgraded audio performance. The UDP-205 should be available in early 2017.
The UDP-203 will retail for $1049 at authorised dealers across New Zealand. For more information, visit oppodigital.co.nz
